


Don't Get Sick, Kids

by BuzzCat



Series: 30 Day Cheesy Tropes And Rare Pairs Challenge [18]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Darcy just wants to cuddle, F/F, Multi, Natasha is possibly trying to build her harem, Sick!AU, Steve has issues because of the 1940s
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-09-10 20:26:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8937925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuzzCat/pseuds/BuzzCat
Summary: Darcy gets pneumonia and is notoriously bad at taking care of herself. She and Natasha have an interesting relationship, but if it works, why change it? Steve gets kidnapped for cuddles and Natasha is okay with this.





	

Darcy was a tough cookie to crack. Oh sure she’d whine about small things, like SHIELD taking her iPod, but when it came to the big issues, there was always something more important to do.

So when Darcy started sniffling, she popped some DayQuil and kept working. After all, Jane’s notes weren’t going to decode themselves.

When she kept coughing, Darcy bought extra cough drops and said nothing of it. JARVIS started changing her lunch order to chicken soup, but it was really neither here nor there to Darcy.

When she hadn’t eaten anything but coffee in a week because nothing tasted right, she shrugged, threw on a belt so her jeans wouldn’t fall down, and started chugging Gatorade to keep her electrolytes up. Nat was coming home soon and if Darcy finished her work, she could spend the evening hanging out with her girlfriend instead of staring at scrolling numbers.

When Darcy threw up from coughing too much a week later, it finally registered that maybe something was wrong. Darcy pulled up the Stark Industries employee page to check when the in-house doctor was available, trying to find a way to work around Jane’s sky-schedule, Darcy’s homework-schedule, and the doctor’s online schedule. Even as Darcy was working, she heard the lab doors open. She didn’t look up until someone had plopped a white pharmacy bag in front of her. Darcy looked up to see Natasha staring at her, frowning. Natasha frowning was a generally terrifying sight, but Darcy had never seen it up close and personal before. She was quickly learning it was an experience she did not want to have again. She leaned back in her chair and ignored how her head was spinning,

“Can I help you, my dear sweet scary superspy?” Far from Natasha looking happy to see her, the redhead had crossed her arms,

“Your medication has instructions. I am taking you back to your apartment, you are taking your meds, and then you are going to sleep.”

“C’mon, Nat. I’m only a little sick. Besides, you just got home; we need to celebrate Great British Baking Show-style,” Darcy said, standing up and ignoring how the room was moving. Natasha, however, would not be moved.

“According to JARVIS’s diagnostics, you have pneumonia. You are going to rest until you are better.”

“Pneumonia? No one under the age of fifty even gets pneumonia even more,” Darcy said, rolling her eyes. She coughed and Nat raised an eyebrow at the sound of it. She grabbed the pharmacy bag and pushed Darcy into the chair before Darcy fell into it,

“You. You get pneumonia. Come on, pack up, you’re going home.” Darcy was about to fight her, but was stopped by a coughing fit. By the time she could breathe again, Nat had already packed her things. Darcy did her best to sigh and followed Nat out. There was little conversation in the elevator to the apartment floor. Natasha carried Darcy’s things silently and Darcy knew that talking too much would trigger more coughing, which would only prove Nat right. They entered the communal floor and saw Steve in the kitchen, sitting at the bar and reading something on his data pad. He looked up and smiled at Darcy and Natasha,

“And what are you two up to?”

“Darcy has pneumonia and I’m taking her to bed,” Natasha said, not even stopping in her dead-head to Darcy’s bedroom.

“Nat, I do not—“ Darcy’s protests and progress toward bed were cut off by her hacking cough. When she looked up, Steve was pale. She remembered suddenly that back in his day, people died from pneumonia all the time. Before she could remind him that medicine had greatly improved since the 1940s, Natasha was shuffling her off toward her room. All Darcy managed to do was wave a bit before Natasha had shoved her into her bedroom. In fact, Darcy was already in her pajamas and being tucked into bed before she could get any protests out. Natasha Romanov made a truly frightening nurse. Darcy looked up at her as Natasha measured medicine silently. Darcy cleared her throat and croaked,

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Next time, pay more attention. It would not do for you to end up stuck in a hospital all because you failed to notice how bad a cough you have.” Darcy took her medicine and laid back down. Wow, she’d forgotten how comfortable her bed was and how awesome naps are. Natasha gently kissed her forehead.

“Besides, the sooner you’re better the sooner we can do more interesting things in this bed. Sleep.”

And Darcy was out.

 

The next time she woke up, it was to a hulking supersoldier trying to be very quiet about setting down a tray of food. She cleared her throat and said in what had to be the grossest voice she’d ever had,

“What’s that?”

Steve turned to look at her. Darcy was surprised to see how solemn he was, “Chicken noodle soup. Like my ma used to make it.”

“Thanks Steve,” Darcy said. He looked like he was still half a second from wringing his wrists so Darcy rolled her eyes and patted the edge of her bed. He sat down, back straight and not quite making eye contact. She punched him lightly in the arm,

“I’m not going to die, you know,” she said quietly. Steve nodded,

“I know. I checked, there’s medicine for everything. You’re…you’re going to be just fine.” He was definitely trying to reassure himself, not Darcy.

“Mhm,” she said, waiting. There was more here. Sure enough, Steve sighed,

“It’s just, your cough. I used to hear kids, babies, cough like that all the time growing up. Most of ‘em didn’t make it very long. I used to cough like that, and ma called the priest three times for last rights. Anybody coughing like that…well, we never knew if we’d see them the next day.”

“I figured it’d be something like that,” Darcy said with a nod. She sighed and laid back down in the bed. Steve still looked concerned, like she’d stop breathing if he stopped listening for it. Eventually, Darcy sighed,

“Look, you can’t get sick, right?” she asked. Steve nodded. Darcy nodded at the other half of her bed,

“Get over here. You worrying about me isn’t going to fix anything except make me worry about you. Lay down, over here, and you can make sure I don’t kick off in the middle of the night. I’ve got no plans to, mind,” Darcy said when Steve’s eyes got wide at the casual mention of her own demise, “but if it’ll make you feel better, get over here. And bring that soup with you. If Nat comes back and I haven’t eaten something she’ll probably blow a gasket.” Steve carefully laid down on top of the covers. Darcy sighed and looked over at him,

“Okay, just checking: there’s a very good chance I’ll end up cuddled up to you at some point. You good with that?”

“Yeah. Whatever makes you comfortable, Darce,” he said. Darcy smiled, sat up, and did her best to eat her soup. She managed to finish about half of it before her eyes started to close. She set it down on the tray and laid back down, cuddling up close to Steve. Hesitantly, he wrapped an arm around her. Darcy smiled into her side,

“Thanks. Heads-up, Natasha’ll probably drop by. We have an agreement that I get to cuddle people as long as they aren’t her. Don’t freak if she stares at you; it’s how she says thank you. ‘Night.” And with that, Darcy fell asleep, leaving the good captain the comforting image of Natasha as a panther, lying in wait to pounce when her prey expected it least.

He lay there for an hour, listening to Darcy sleep, before Natasha appeared. She was like a ghost. One moment, the doorway was empty. The next, a small redhead stood there, hands on her hips. Steve started to offer an explanation but one look from Natasha at Darcy made him stop. If he woke her up, Natasha would actually kill him. Instead, Natasha moved silently to the bed, standing at the side. She leaned down and tucked a piece of hair out of Darcy’s eyes and pressed a kiss to the girl’s forehead. She looked at Steve,

“I am not one for cuddling. I get twitchy and anxious. Darcy knows this. That’s why she’s cuddling you. I cannot be there and you can. Thank you.” Natasha sat down on the edge of the bed, feet curled beneath her and watching Darcy sleep. Steve sighed and relaxed a little on the bed,

“You’re welcome.”

He was asleep in minutes, leaving Natasha as the silent guardian of the sick intern and the tired soldier. God help the poor soul who tried to disturb either of them.

That poor soul turned out to be Clint Barton and he avoided Natasha for a week afterward.

**Author's Note:**

> I actually have pneumonia right now. It hit during dead week before finals, so you can imagine how fun that's been. Darcy's pneumonia is basically my pneumonia, except I saw a doctor pretty early on. Again, like the title says: don't get sick, it's not fun.


End file.
